Double acting spring hinge



May 2, 1961 c. A. E. NAYEs ET AL 2,981,970

DOUBLE ACTING SPRING HINGE Filed July 29, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 -li m 26Mmm- May 2, 1961 C. A. E. NAYES ETAL 2,981,970

DOUBLE ACTING SPRING HINGE Filed July 29, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 rm ifJasf/w a fax/mm BY Mu, -bzvnba l ATTwe/vs v5 United Seres Patent2,981,910 DOUBLE ACTING SPRING HINGE Charles A. E. Nayes, Milwaukee,Wis., Milton J. Robin- -son, Lake Forest, Ill., and Raymond J. Buettner,West Allis, 'Walter R. Sievert, Wauwatosa, and Richard W. Sicvert, JohnF. Svoboda and Joseph l0. Eckmanu, Milwaukee, Wis., assignors toMilwaukee Stamping Company, Milwaukee, Wis., a corporation of Wiscousin`Filed July 29, 1957, Ser. No. 674,749

13 Claims. (Cl. 16-182) This invention relates to a double acting springhinge.

The hinge disclosed is particularly designed for application to theldoors of toilet stalls, shower stalls and the like in which the door isnot required to completely ll the opening in which it is mounted.However, the hinge does have other applications. It features a mechanismin which all parts of the spring hinge may be, and

usually are, assembled as aunit in a notch in the lower corner of thedoor for adjustable mounting on a bracket ailxed to the jamb. The hingecomprises a lower socket memberadjustable in said bracket fordetermination of the position to which the door returns when swung ineither direction. Piloted on this member is a pintle bar connected to acomplementary bracket fixed to the door. This Vmember sustains theweight ofthe door and guides its oscillation, the spring means forreturning the door to its normal closed position, comprising anelastomericV sleeve connected to the respective members. A simple pinand bracket pivot the upper end of the door.

In the preferred construction, the elastomeric sleeve is vulcanized orotherwise bonded to members respectively` connected with the leafbracketsV of the door and jamb and ,in piloted bearing engagementwitheach other intermediate the length of the sleeve.

In an alternative construction, the member connected with the jambbracket is a cup, the other member being piloted in or near the bottomof the cup and the elastomeric spring comprising a tube `bonded totherespective members on its inner and outer peripheries.

In another alternative construction, the member fixed to the jambbracket is bonded to the end of the elastomeric sleeve, while the memberfixed to the door bracket comprises a plate bonded to the opposite endof theV rubber sleeve. One of these members rhas pintle or stem ,whichextends substantially all the `way through the'sleeve to apilotedconnection with the other member, the stem or pintle being whollyfree of contact with the inner periphery of the sleeve.

In all of these installations, the door and the spring hinge unit nearits bottom corner, are readily disengaged from the lower jamb bracket byrelative upward movement of the door, without disconnecting the jambbrack- 2,981,970 Patented May `2, 1961 In order to mount the door 5 forswinging movement in Yboth directions from a predetermined central,position respecting the jamb, six separate hinges are provided for theVupper and lower corners vof the door. The upper hinge includes abracket 7 having a shoulder bolt 8 connected to its arm 9, its reducedextension 10 being engaged in a hole in the plate 11, which is securedto the upper end of the door adjacent its corner.

The lower margin of the door has a corner notched at 12 framed by ahinge leaf or bracket 13 of channelshaped cross section. The other hingeleaf or bracket 14 is screwed to the jamb and has an arm 15 projectingimmediately beneath the notched corner of the door. A tapered opening at16 inthe bracket arm 15 adjustably receives the tapered end 17 of pintlemember 20 which is fixed in adjusted position by lock washer 21 and nut`22 threaded to its lower end portion 23.

The upper end of pintle member 20 has a socket 25 and is counterbored toreceive the bushing 26. Piloted in the bushing and extending into thesocket is the reduced lower extremity 27 of upper pintle member 30 whichis xed to rotate with the door. 28 of member 36 may, and desirably does,have bearing support on the upper end of bushing 26. The manner in whichthe member 30 is engaged with leaf bracket 13 is immaterial to theinvention. It may have a squared portion 31 engaged in a correspondingopeningrz of the bracket as shown in Fig. 2, or it may have a reducedthreaded portion 33 extending through the bracket and provided with anut 34 which is used to tighten the shoulder 33d against the bracket inthe manner suggested in Fig. 3. In other words, the mounting meanssuggested in Figs. 2 and 3 may be employedinterchangeably. Y

In the preferred construction shown in Figs. l and 2,

the piloted connection between the upper and lower pin-V tle members 30and 20 is intermediate the door bracket 13 and the jamb bracket arm 15.The upper and lower pintle members are encircled by an elastomerictubular spring 35, the inner periphery of whichV is bonded to the outerperipheries of both members, either by vulcanizing or adhesiveconnection or otherwise. The bond is diagrammatically engaged in thedrawings by the heavy lines at 36 and 37. rThe piloted connection iswithin the elastomeric spring in this construction.

Any oscillation of the door in either direction from its normallycentered position will subject the heavy sleeve 35 of rubber or the-liketo torsion, its upper end being twisted with respect to the lower end.Upon release of presure on the door, the hinge will restore the door toits original position. For setting the door in a desired position, thetapered portion 17`of lower pintle member 20 is released from its socketin leaf arm 15; the door can then be positioned While free of pressure;and the tapered portion 17 is then wedged into the socket by tighteningnut 22.

et from the jatnb,A and without releasing the hinge unit from the door.Itis because this relative bodily upward displacement ofntherdoor andthe attached spring unit is feasible for stall `type doors that theinvention is particularly.suitablsictsushiastallafions? In the drawings:Fig. 1 is a view largely in side elevation, fragmentarily i illustratingportions of a door equipped with hinges em- In the construction shown inFig. 3, the tapered shank 170 with its .screwthreaded extremity 230corresponds tothe tapered por-tion 17 and screwthreaded end 23 of pintlemember 20. In this instance, the tapered shank 170 supports -a cup 40.In practice the shank may ter- A minate in a ange or head Y38 which iswelded to the -lower side of cup 40. The cup and shank unit is socketedat 41 to receive the bushing 26 in which the reduced end portion 42 ofpintle 43 is pilotedf The shoulder 44 of pintle 43 may rest on thebushing.

At its upper end, the shoulder 330 abuts the door bracket 13 and isanchored by nut 34 as already described.

The rubber spring 350 comprises a sleeve having its external peripherybonded to the cup 40 at 360 and its internal periphery 370 bonded to thepintle 43 by vulcanization or the use of adhesive or otherwise.

The shoulder In the construction shown in Fig. 4, the conically taperedmounting member 171 and its screwthreaded reduced end 231 and its head381 correspond closely to parts 17), 236 and 38 in Fig. 3. Shank 171 isVsocketed toreceive the bushing 26 into which the pintle 431 extends.Instead of having a Yshoulder abutting theV top of the bushing 26, thepintle 431 seats against -a bearing disk 46 within the bushing.

At its upper end, the pintle 431 has a flange 48 above which it isshouldered at 331. It may be mounted to the door bracket in any desiredmanner, as by means of threads at y49.

In this instance, the rubber spring 351 has a central opening 50 whichis of greater radius than the pintle pin 451, being desirably completelyout of contact with the pin. The bond 361 with flange 381 is at thelower end of the rubber sleeve 351 while its upper end is bonded at 371to the flange 48 of therpintle pin fixed to the door.

From the foregoing description, it will be apparent that the operationof the device shown in Figs3 and 4 is similer to that shown in Fig. 1except as to the manner in which torsion is applied to the rubberspring. In the Fig. 3 construction, the torsion is developed between theinner and outer periphery Whereas in the Fig. 4 construction the torsionis developed between the respective ends of the rubber sleeve.

In all three constructions, the door will have an upper bearingproviding pivotal guidance for its upper corner and, desirably, it willhave a bearing at its lower corner fixing with reasonable accuracy theaxis upon which the door swings. in any event, there should be noappreciable yielding of either corner of the door from its predeterminedaxis of oscillation, since any displacement of the axis would permit thefree margin of the door to strike the side of its jarnb instead ofswinging properly.

We claim:

l. In a hinge, the combination with members respectively adapted fordoor and jamb connection `and provided with non-yieldable bearing pintleand socket parts in piloted bearing engagement, of a spring comprisingan elastomeric body having spaced portions connected with the respectivemembers and opposing their relative displacement from -a predeterminedposition.

2. In a device of the character described, the combination withrelatively pivotally movable leaf members, of pintle means forpositively positioning the members for relative pivotal movement upon afixed axis, and an elastomeric spring sleeve through Awhich the pintlemeans extends, spaced portions of the said spring having connection withrespective members, the pintle means comprising axially aligned sectionsone of which has a piloted bearing in the other, the respective sectionsbeing con-l nected with said elastomeric sleeve portions. Y 3. Thedevice of claim 2 in which the piloted bearing is intermediate the endsof the elastomeric sleeve, said 5. The device of. claim 2 in which theelastomeric sleeve has terminal portions in fixed connection withflanges with which the respective sections of the pintle means areprovided.

6. A hinge for mountingin. the notched corner of a free swinging door,said hinge comprising a jamb bracket leaf, a door bracket leaf, pintlesections connected with the respective leaves and an elastomeric tubularspring embracing both of said pintle sections and having differentlengths of its inner periphery respectively connected therewith, thesaid pintle sections having a pilot bearing intermediate the ends ofsaid spring, one section being socketed and the other having a reducedextremity extending into the socket to provide said bearing. i

7. A spring hinge for a double swinging door, said hinge comprising ajamb bracket leaf, a door bracket leaf, a pintle bearing sectionadjustably connected with the jarnb bracket leaf, a pintle bearingsection connected with the door bracket leaf, one of said sections beingsocketed and the other provided with a bearing stud extending into thesocket, the said sections having radial and axial bearing surfacesaffording support for the` door bracket leaf and positively fixing itsaxis of oscillation, and an elastomeric tubular spring through which theaxis of oscillation extends and which has spaced portions in fixedconnection with the respective pintle bearing sections.

8. The device of claim 7 in which the pintle bearing sections comprisebar portions and the spring comprises a tube having different lengths ofits inner periphery bonded to said portions.

9. The device of claim 7 in which one of said sections comprises a cupthrough which the other section extends, the spring comprising a tubehaving its external periphery bonded to the cup and its internalperiphery bonded to the other pintle bearing section.

l0. The device of claim 7 in which both of said sections are providedwith radial flanges spaced axially of the axis of oscillation, thespring comprising a sleevehaving its ends bonded to the respectiveflanges.

l1. The device of claim 7 in which the pintle bearing sections comprisebar portions and the spring comprises a tube having different lengths ofits inner periphery respectively bonded to the said portions, said tubeconstituting a housing within which said bar portions are enclosed.

12. The device of claim 7 in which the springcomi prises a tube, atleast one of said pintle bearing sections References Cited in the fileof this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,383,815 Katzenberger July 5,1921y 1,954,934 Houdaille et al Apr. 17, V1934 2,747,238 Jones et al May29, 1956

